What conditions and disorders are related to the heart chambers?
Sometimes, your heart’s teamwork gets disrupted. Some disruptions begin before we’re born and cause congenital heart disease. Other problems arise throughout our lives, especially as we get older. Because your chambers are so important to your heart’s structure, many heart conditions and disorders involve them. The list below reviews some problems that we might face.
Arrhythmias
An arrhythmia is an irregular or abnormal heartbeat caused by a problem with your heart’s electrical system. While there are many different types of arrhythmias, it’s helpful to know the two that directly relate to your heart chambers.
- Supraventricular arrhythmias: These arrhythmias begin in your atria (“supra” means above, so here, the problem happens above your ventricles). The most common type is atrial fibrillation, also known as Afib. This condition causes your atria to contract irregularly or quiver. As a result, your atria can’t effectively move blood to your ventricles. You might not have any symptoms of Afib. If you have symptoms, you might notice strange feelings in your chest like a flip-flop sensation, skipped beats or hard banging. You may also feel nauseous, light-headed and weak and have trouble breathing. Without treatment, Afib doubles the risk of heart-related death. People with Afib are five times more likely to have a stroke. This is a condition that’s more serious than most people realize.
- Ventricular arrhythmias: These arrhythmias begin in your ventricles. Sometimes they’re harmless. For example, you might feel premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) if you’re stressed or have been drinking a lot of coffee. Other arrhythmias are much more serious. Ventricular fibrillation (Vfib) is the most serious arrhythmia and can lead to sudden cardiac death. Vfib happens when your heart doesn’t receive enough blood. This improper blood flow can occur from several causes like a heart attack, cardiomyopathy or drug toxicity. Vfib is a life-threatening medical emergency that needs immediate help. If you notice someone isn’t responding or not breathing normally, call 911 right away and, if able, give CPR.
Heart valve disease
Sometimes, a valve becomes damaged or diseased and can’t work properly. While some people are born with valve issues, this problem is more common in older adults. Below are some examples of valve diseases that can affect your heart chambers.
- Aortic stenosis: Any of your valves can become diseased, but your aortic valve is most often the one affected. Aortic valve disease causes 61% of all valve disease deaths. And aortic stenosis is a big culprit. “Stenosis” means something is getting narrow. Aortic stenosis happens when your aortic valve opening narrows and blood can’t easily pass from your left ventricle to your aorta. This narrowing might also impact the pressure in your left atrium. This problem affects more than 20% of Americans over age 65. Sometimes the narrowing can begin after age 60, but symptoms won’t show up until age 70 or 80. Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid fluttering heartbeat, dizziness and swollen ankles or feet.
- Tricuspid regurgitation: Your tricuspid valve is the little door that lets blood flow from your right atrium down to your right ventricle. If your valve doesn’t close tightly, some blood can flow in the wrong direction — from your ventricle back up into your atrium. This is called tricuspid regurgitation. It’s usually caused by an enlarged right ventricle. Conditions like COPD or other heart problems can make the right ventricle grow in size. If you have mild tricuspid regurgitation, you may not have symptoms. More serious forms can lead to heart failure symptoms like active pulsing in the neck veins, fatigue, and foot and ankle swelling.
Endocarditis
If bacteria enter your bloodstream and move to your heart, you can get a serious infection called endocarditis. In endocarditis, the inside lining of your heart chambers and valves gets inflamed. Symptoms include fever, chills and sweating, especially at night. You may also notice fatigue, weakness, and muscle and joint pain. It’s important to seek medical attention right away and get antibiotics before the infection gets worse. Untreated endocarditis can cause permanent heart damage or death.
Single ventricle defects
These are rare congenital disorders that can affect one of your ventricles. Your ventricle may be smaller, underdeveloped or missing a valve. Here are a few examples.
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS): The left side of your heart is underdeveloped.
- Pulmonary atresia: Your pulmonary valve is abnormally developed or blocked.
- Tricuspid atresia: Your tricuspid valve isn’t properly formed. So, blood flow is blocked from your right atrium to your right ventricle. This makes your right ventricle small and underdeveloped.
How do I know if my heart chambers are healthy?
Problems with your heart chambers or any part of your heart are often easy to miss. You might not have symptoms or notice anything is wrong until the problem has gotten worse. Heart disease is called a “silent killer” because it can sneak up on you. That’s why it’s important to go for physical exams and talk with your healthcare provider about your family history. If your parents or grandparents had heart problems, there’s a greater chance you might develop some too.
There are many ways to check the health of your heart. First, your provider will listen to your heartbeat with a stethoscope. This is a common way to find murmurs and valve problems. Then, if you have a family history of heart disease or have symptoms, your doctor may perform an electrocardiogram (EKG). Your doctor might also want you to get an echocardiogram (echo) to check your heart’s function and look for problems like valve disease.
What treatments can make my heart chambers healthier?
Depending on what’s wrong, your healthcare provider may first recommend some simple lifestyle changes. For example, consuming less caffeine can reduce some arrhythmia symptoms. In other cases, you may need medication. For instance, if you have atrial fibrillation, you may need medications to control your heart rate or manage underlying thyroid disease. If you have heart failure, you might need to take diuretics to get rid of extra fluid from your body. Some problems, such as valve disease, may require surgery.
Your provider will know what’s best for your specific situation. That’s why it’s so important to visit your provider regularly and discuss any new symptoms that come up.
